Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction: Younis to leave his Marc on the Nix

Melbourne City look to be gathering momentum at just the right time, with 10 points from their last four games lifting them up to sixth in the Australian A-League Men's standings ahead of the final three rounds of fixtures. On Sunday (06:00 BST, TNT Sports 4), Aurelio Vidmar's side host top-six rivals Wellington Phoenix, who are eighth following three consecutive victories, at AAMI Park.

Below are my Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix predictions, alongside all the latest team news and match odds, as the visitors target a win that would see them overtake their hosts.

Team News

Patrick Beach and Ryan Teague are both back in the Melbourne City squad after recovering from injury, while Marcus Younis returns following the suspension he served in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners.

Mathew Leckie (hip), Alessandro Lopane (quad) and Takeshi Kanamori (knee) miss out again for City.

Football Odds

Sarpreet Singh (unspecified) is still out injured for Wellington Phoenix, whose interim boss Chris Greenacre has omitted Luke Supyk from his extended squad, while promoting Fin Roa Conchie.

Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix Odds

Melbourne City are strong favourites to pick up three points on Sunday, with odds of 3/5 implying a 62.5% probability of success, while Wellington Phoenix, whose last victory in this fixture was a 1-0 triumph at Sky Stadium in November 2023, are 18/5, or a 21.7% chance, to claim a fourth consecutive win, with the draw offered at 3/1.

Match Result And Total Goals Over/Under 3.5 - Melbourne City & Under 3.5 Goals @ 6/4

Both sides have picked up 10 points from their last four games, so confidence should be high in both camps, but it's City who boast home advantage and the much superior starting XI and squad, so all being equal, it's their game to lose, really.

The two teams couldn't be separated in a 2-2 draw at Sky Stadium in January, but City had won the previous three head-to-heads.

City are boosted this weekend by the return to fitness of goalkeeper Beach and midfielder Teague, while Younis, who scored and set up the other two goals in a 3-0 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers on April 4, is also back available, too, strengthening Vidmar's options across the pitch.

Today's Football Fixtures

This may be a game too far for Wellington, but expect the visitors to show plenty of spirit.

The Nix's last five matches have gone under 2.5 goals, while City's last seven across all competitions - five in the league - have gone that way, too, so backing a home win and under 3.5 goals looks like a good bet here.

Anytime Goalscorer - Marcus Younis (MCY) @ 7/4

Younis should be fit and raring to go after his red card against the Wanderers gave him the midweek match off, so I'm expecting Vidmar to restore him to his starting XI on Sunday, especially given he had a direct role in all three of the goals City scored last weekend.

The 20-year-old has registered three goals and three assists in eight ALM appearances since joining on loan in January from Danish side Brondby, where he struggled for minutes during the first half of the campaign.

He looks reinvigorated back in Australia, though, spelling danger for Wellington, who he scored against in January's 2-2 draw at Sky Stadium.

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